Blinding Beauty (30 page)

Launce stared at him for a long
time. Ever held his gaze, wondering what the young man saw. Like
Launce, Ever’s chin and upper lip were covered in tough stubble,
but it suddenly occurred to Ever that Launce looked older than he
had only a week before. Finally, Launce simply nodded and
left.

***

Ever didn’t
remember leaving the tower, but somehow he woke up in his own bed
while the morning was still dark. A knock sounded at the door, and
Ever realized that must have been what had awakened him in the
first place.

“
Yes?” he mumbled, rubbing his
eyes. He still felt so tired he could hardly get his bearings.
“What is it?”

“
Master Garin says to tell you
that your brother-in-law is ready to leave soon. He thought you
would like to see the young man off.”

“
Thank you,” Ever said. “Tell him
I will be there.” He couldn’t stop the groan that escaped him as he
pulled himself into a sitting position on his bed, and out of
habit, was careful not to disturb the other side of the
bed.

Just because his strength allowed
him to push himself harder than most others, it didn’t mean he
never felt the pain. Very quickly, he was realizing that riding as
hard and as fast as they had could bring some serious pain. Still,
he pulled on the clothes someone had laid out for him, and headed
to the stables.

When he arrived, Launce was
already seated upon his horse. Ever wondered what kind of trick
Garin had used to get the young man looking so well so quickly
after Ever had pushed him so hard the two days before. Full
saddlebags hung from the horse’s sides, and for the first time,
Launce was actually wearing the official colors of the
Fortress.

“
Would you walk me to the gate?”
Launce asked him quietly.

Suddenly curious, Ever
nodded.

As they left the stables, Ever
wished he’d worn a thicker cloak. Autumn was leaving more hastily
than usual, and winter was definitely in the air. A mischievous
breeze moved in and out around their legs and arms, squeezing into
every cranny that wasn’t completely covered. Aside from the breeze,
everything else was still as they walked quietly across the
browning lawns behind the Fortress to the servant’s gate. For
official business, Ever always used the main entrance, but the
servants’ gate was farther up the mountain, and made the ride to
the main path much faster.

Unsure of what Launce wanted with
him, Ever waited. Sometimes, he knew from experience, more could be
learned from silence than from unwanted questions. Sure enough,
just a few minutes into their walk, Launce finally
spoke.

“
If you could see the enchanter
right now, speak with him face-to-face, what would you
do?”

“
I would kill him before he could
speak a word.”

“
Then would it be safe to say that
you hate him?” Launce turned and looked directly into his face, and
in the light of the full moon, Ever could feel the intensity of his
gaze.

“
Garin has taught me that hate
never accomplishes anything, hate for others, at least. We can hate
circumstances, and we can hate tragedy, but hating others brings us
close to a place of danger within ourselves,” Ever answered evenly.
“But that said, yes. I hate him with every bone in my
body.”

“
Then you finally
understand.”

“
Understand what?”

“
How I feel about you.”

Something violent stirred within
Ever. He felt heat pulse from his hands, and the desire to taste
blood surged within him. And yet, as he stared up at the lanky
young man who rode his horse with such infuriating serenity, Ever
realized his fury wasn’t for Launce. It was for himself.

“
She is your wife now,” Launce
continued in a calm, resigned tone, “but she was mine to protect
first. After you hurt her the first time, I was the one to help
pick up the pieces. I was the one to talk her out of daring
attempts on her horse. While you were off fighting your glorious
battles, Isa was my responsibility. On the night you gave orders to
kill her, I carried her to the cart so we could flee the city
before your bloodbath ensued. And as if that weren’t enough,”
Launce’s voice grew hard, and he glared openly at Ever this time,
“you demanded her, like chattel. You took her from us. My parents
had planned to escape, but they didn’t know her like I do. I knew
that just as she had given up her horse for me, she would give up
her life for the rest of us. I even caught her just before she
reached your gate.”

Ever felt sick as he listened.
There had been a time when he thought his heart had been beaten to
its very core, but that was nothing compared to hearing what Launce
had to say now. Because he knew, deep down, that the young man
spoke the truth.

“
It was only for Megane’s sake
that I let her go,” Launce said. “And until we received news that
you had died, and that Isa would be crowned queen, I had to look at
that Fortress on the mountain every day, and imagine what you were
doing to her there, all alone. And I knew that it was all because I
had failed to keep her safe.”

They had reached the gate, and
Launce pulled his horse to a stop, turning it so he could look at
Ever head on.

“
The only reason I didn’t go mad
on the day you married my sister was because I could see that she
truly believed in you. And I thought to myself, if anyone can save
my sister from her own brave, foolhardy schemes, it would be you.”
And with that, he turned his horse and gave it a kick.

CHAPTER
THIRTY

Crystal Truth

After
walking her back to the room she’d first arrived in through the
mirror, Brokk gave Isa a few candles to see by as the darkness
continued to fall.

“
The mountains surround us on
every side, so the wind becomes trapped within them, and grows cold
and strong. Use as many blankets from the wardrobe as you need. I
have also added a few of my mother’s old gowns for you if you wish
to change. She was nearly your size.”

Once he was gone, Isa looked
doubtfully at the bed. It looked old, but when she sniffed it, it
somehow smelled clean and free of dust. Grudgingly, she laid down.
Sleeping was the last thing she wanted to do. Still, she wouldn’t
be able to go far if she found the chance to escape, but was too
tired to do so.

As she gingerly tucked herself
under the blankets, Isa looked up at the strange shadows the
candles cast upon the glass walls. Ever would know what to do, she
thought to herself.

But Ever wasn’t there.

Suddenly, Isa didn’t care if she
was mad at him or not. Just having his warmth beside her would have
done wonders to soothe her frightened soul. And he would come, she
promised herself. If anyone could find her, it would be
him.

Isa would have given anything to
have him with her at that moment. It stung to think about the last
words they had shared. The yellow firelight on the white-blue
ceiling danced eerily as though it could feel the gales of wind
that rushed and roared around the castle. The shadows seemed to
leer at her.

What if he doesn’t come? they
whispered. Isa rolled over, as if ignoring the flames could quiet
the fears that whirled around inside her head. Perhaps, she prayed
to the Maker, You could at least send me dreams of him rushing to
my side. Just let me escape in my dreams for the night.

***

Waking up
was difficult the next morning. The Maker had answered her prayers,
and sweet dreams had taken her during the night. Images of Ever,
and the sensation of his touch had brought her to a deeper sleep
than she’d had in months.

And yet, their disappearance made
waking up all the more difficult. Instead, shock and fear rippled
through her as Isa struggled to remember where she had fallen
asleep. At least it wasn’t dark anymore, she tried to comfort
herself. The glass castle’s opaque walls were bright with gray
sunlight once again, but there was not a sound to be heard, aside
from the constant wind. Isa lay in bed, shivering for over an hour
before she was decently sure Brokk wasn’t listening outside her
door again.

Finally, she slipped out of bed,
only to be greeted by the coldest air she had ever felt. She hadn’t
intended to touch the Glass Queen’s gowns, but as soon as she saw
how warm the they really were, made of thin, soft leather, and
lined with white fur, Isa changed her mind, and quickly changed
into a warmer dress and covered it with the thick robe. Then she
waited one more time with her ear to the door before cautiously
peeking out into the hall.

“
Brokk?” she called. There was no
answer. Twice more she yelled out his name before concluding he
wasn’t nearby. She suddenly wondered if he had gone back to Cobren.
If he had brought her here through a mirror, he must have been able
to return through one as well.

Her suspicions were all but
confirmed when she made her way to his workshop and found one
steaming glass bowl of porridge set out on the table. As she ate,
Isa hoped he would be gone for a while. Since the moment she had
discovered where she really was, Isa had longed to explore the
ancient castle on her own. Legends of the Glass Queen had been some
of her favorites when she was a child. Even more importantly,
however, she hoped to find some hint as to what the enchanter was
truly planning. Then, when Ever came for her, she would at least
have something to tell him.

Her boots made sharp clicking
sounds against the frosted glass floor that echoed down the halls
as she walked back to the throne room. As she went, she dragged her
hand along one of the walls. Though her ability to produce the
Fortress’s fire seemed to be all but gone, Isa wondered if she
would at least be able to feel the power of one room if it was more
important than the others.

Just as she entered the throne
room, Isa stopped. It felt as though someone had poured something
thick, icy, and hot into her blood. Her heart began to race, and
the sudden urge to sprint up one of the spiraling staircase nearly
overwhelmed her. Her chest grew so tight she could hardly breathe,
but as soon as Isa removed her hand from the rough glass of the
wall, everything stopped. Her breathing returned to normal, and it
was as if nothing had happened. Mystified, Isa tentatively placed
her fingers along the wall again. Immediately, the draw to go
upstairs consumed her once more.

Could this be one of Brokk’s
tricks? Might he be watching, waiting for her to follow? As she
continued to hold onto the wall, Isa realized the power was
different even from that which she’d felt in the glass hill. As
ancient as Brokk’s power was, this felt impossibly
older.

When she reached the throne room,
the urge to go forward grew even more urgent. Sucking in a deep
breath, Isa let go of the wall and walked to the closest staircase,
and decided to let the strange pull, whatever it was, take her. The
urge to run overtook Isa, and as she flew up the shiny steps, a
thrill moved through her. Suddenly, she felt as though she were a
bird climbing higher into the clear blue sky.

Eventually, she had to reach the
bridge she had walked upon the day before, and the exhilarating
flight was over. Whatever had first yanked her along, however, did
not allow her to linger. Instead, it kept her hand upon the rail,
then the wall, before pulling her down the hall opposite that of
her room, the side of the castle she hadn’t explored the day
before.

As she went, the walls began to
change. Instead of ivy, the walls here were carved with stars and
moons. The impulse to continue walking grew stronger until she
reached the last door at the end of the great hall. Isa placed her
ear to it and listened, but she heard nothing. With curiosity now
nearly as strong as the force which compelled her forward, Isa
began to slowly push on the door only to realize it was
locked.

“
You would think a castle this old
would at least have loose locks,” she muttered to herself. But no
matter how hard she pushed, it wouldn’t budge. Stepping back, Isa
stared at the glass handle. If Ever had been there, a lock wouldn’t
have posed a problem at all.

Ever wasn’t there, however, and
her need to see what was behind the door grew more incessant by the
minute. Isa huffed impatiently, knowing what Ever would tell her to
do even if he were there.

Placing the palm of her hand
against the door, Isa exhaled, trying with all her might. She
imagined the little bit of fire left within her gathering in her
hands. Groaning with the strain, Isa pressed her hands into the
door until they hurt. The faintest of a blue aura lit up the glass
around her hands, but only for a second. Then, nothing.

The pain in her hands was nothing
compared to that within her heart. If the Fortress’s fire continued
to leave her at this rate, she would be dead in a week. It wouldn’t
even matter what the enchanter had schemed up for her. Isa sighed
and leaned heavily against the door. The glass was cool, but warmed
quickly under her touch, and that nagging sensation continued to
dance throughout her body, biting her as she stood still. If only
she could do something to quell it.

As if someone were watching her
struggle, the door clicked open on its own. Without hesitating to
wonder why the door had opened by itself, Isa darted through,
hoping that wherever Brokk was, he couldn’t see or hear her.
Something, perhaps the strange urgency in the glass, told her that
she was not meant to see whatever was behind that door.